The Fall of the Four
by The Inspired Quill
Summary: "What's wrong?" He looked up, trouble and worry evident in his blue eyes. "It's what we thought," he mewed, his voice cracking. "The four have fallen. The Dark Forest is rising."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**A/N: This is my first fanfic that I wrote over a year ago. I already have eight chapters written, so this is displayed just as a tester. If you enjoy, then I will add more. This takes place after **_**Sunrise.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. Erin Hunter and HarperCollins do.**

The full moon floated high in the sky against an inky backdrop of stars. A line of ThunderClan cats leaped onto the tree trunk that took them to the island, and a line of RiverClan cats followed. WindClan and ShadowClan were already present, and both Clans' leaders were already situated among the branches of the great tree in the middle of the island. Their deputies sat on the tree roots underneath them.

Firestar, ThunderClan's leader, climbed up, and positioned himself on a branch in the tree on the island, and waited for the Gathering to begin. Below, cats from all four Clans milled around, chatting, walking or just sitting there.

Jayfeather, ThunderClan's blind medicine cat, padded up to Lionblaze. "I have a bad feeling that something dreadful will happen," he told his brother.

Lionblaze shrugged. "But we're on an island. And there are many warriors here."

The sightless medicine cat's eyes clouded with worry. "All the same, I think this will not be a good Gathering."

"The Gathering has begun!" Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, yowled. All eyes turned to the leaders sitting on the giant tree.

"I will begin. Snowbird has given birth to a new litter of kits, named Frostkit and Nightkit." Yowls of approval came from the assembled ShadowClan cats, and Blackstar continued his report. "New Twoleg sightings have been seen by my patrols, and one new warrior has been made, Redclaw. That is all." He turned to Leopardstar, and indicated for her to begin.

"Prey is running well for RiverClan, and we also have one new warrior, Minnowpelt." Minnowpelt stood up, and her Clanmates called out, "Minnowpelt! Minnowpelt!"

Leopardstar sat down again, and Onestar, the leader of WindClan, started to give his report.

"We have seen a fox in our territory, but we drove it off. Prey is plentiful, and –"

Lionblaze smelled a new scent in the air, of a cat, but not Clan. _What is it?_ He sniffed the air again, but ignored the scent. He listened to Firestar giving his report, now that Onestar was done his.

"...named Foxleap and Icecloud. They are having their vigil in camp tonight, so they couldn't come. Other then that, there is no other –"

Suddenly, a flash of black appeared out of nowhere, knocking Firestar down. He fell down to the ground, barely avoiding hitting his deputy, Brambleclaw.

Brambleclaw hurried over to the fallen leader, and his eyes glazed over with fear.

"Jayfeather. Here. Now," he rasped.

The medicine cat was quickly by his leader's side. He pawed at Firestar, and examined his body. As he got to Firestar's neck, he looked up at the crowd of cats, all from different Clans.

"There," the blind medicine cat mewed, trembling, and then regained his voice, "There is a deep gash in my leader's neck. It has killed him."

Yowls of protest met his words, and a cat from RiverClan cried, "But what about his nine lives? He didn't use all of them!"

Jayfeather bowed his head. "There is a special poison in that gash. It killed Firestar. All of his lives are gone. There was nothing I could do. Firestar was instantly dead the second the poison infested his system."

"Is there anything about the gash that could help us identify the killer?" asked Sandstorm, who had been Firestar's mate.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't ask, but yes, there is, Sandstorm. The gash was in the shape of a of a b-broken… star."

"Brokenstar!" screeched all the Clan cats in unison.

"But isn't Brokenstar dead?" asked a timid apprentice.

Nobody answered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Littlecloud was sorting herbs when he heard the sound of paw steps coming into the ShadowClan camp. He eagerly hurried out to the group of ShadowClan cats who were returning from the Gathering. Littlecloud had been anticipating the news, but when he saw the cats' expression, he knew something was wrong. The cats showed disbelief, anger, fear, and one young apprentice, Shrewpaw, showed signs of shock. Littlecloud padded back to his den, and pulled a few thyme leaves out of his store.

"Here," he meowed, dropping the leaves at the apprentice's paws. "These will help."

The apprentice shakily ate the leaves, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell and taste. The medicine cat padded up to Blackstar, but before he could open his mouth, Blackstar murmured, "Meet me in my den later, and I will tell you everything." Then he quickly trotted to the center of the camp, where there was a crowd of warriors who had not gone to the Gathering.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around me for a short Clan meeting," Blackstar yowled. Those weren't the usual words used to summon the Clan, but Blackstar wanted to quickly explain the night's events.

"Tonight was not a normal Gathering," the leader of ShadowClan meowed. "Tonight, Firestar, the leader the ThunderClan, was murdered."

"Murdered? By who?" asked Cedarheart, an elder.

"We don't know yet," stated Blackstar, but a warrior interrupted him.

"But Blackstar, isn't it Brokenstar who murdered Firestar?" asked Crowfrost.

Blackstar blinked. "Brokenstar's dead," he hissed.

"Then what's with the broken star that everyone is talking about?" Crowfrost asked.

"We don't know," the ShadowClan leader answered. Raising his voice, he added, "This meeting is now over. Go back to your dens."

Littlecloud went to Blackstar's den, where the leader was sitting with his tail curled around his paws.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me before, Blackstar?" the medicine cat mewed.

"Littlecloud, I know you weren't at the Gathering, but who do you think did it? I'm afraid whoever did it may do it again," the leader replied.

Littlecloud didn't have to ask what "It" was; it was obvious what Blackstar was talking about. "I don't know. But how about this, Blackstar, when I go to the Moonpool tomorrow, I'll ask Jayfeather and the others what they think."

Blackstar was a proud cat, who didn't like to ask for help, but he knew they had to solve this mystery. "Fine," he grumbled.

Barkface, Kestrelpaw, Mothwing, and Littlecloud and Flamepaw were waiting for Jayfeather to arrive. Littlecloud was anxious that the ThunderClan medicine cat would not come, but if he didn't, how was ShadowClan going to get answers for what had happened the day before?

"I don't think he's coming," rumbled Barkface. "Should we go on without him?"

"We're wasting moonlight," warned Mothwing.

_No! We have to wait! I need answers_! Littlecloud wanted to yowl.

"Let's go on without him," Barkface decided. "Maybe he'll catch up."

Littlecloud had no choice but to follow him. He regretfully looked back, and trudged along with Barkface.

When they arrived at the Moonpool, every cat found a place to lie down, and lapped a bit of the water. Littlecloud instantly fell asleep.

The medicine cat was wandering StarClan's forest. He found himself near a cliff, looked down, and gasped. The cats of StarClan were at a meeting, with an orange cat at the center. It was Firestar! Littlecloud saw many cats, including Bluestar, Yellowfang, Raggedstar, Tallstar, and Spottedleaf. Soon, the meeting broke up, and the cats padded off in all different directions. The bushes behind Littlecloud rustled, and out stepped Firestar.

"Firestar!" Littlecloud gasped in surprise. "Oh, um, if you don't mind me asking, who killed you?"

For a moment, Firestar didn't reply, just looked at him strangely. Then he said, "I don't know, Littlecloud."

"Can I check you over for clues?" Littlecloud mumbled.

Firestar nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and padded over to sit beside Littlecloud. He pushed back the fur on Firestar's neck, and saw exactly what Jayfeather had seen on the night of the Gathering. A broken star. But what shocked Littlecloud more than the shape of the gash, was the smell. It was the smell of the poison that had ripped Firestar of all his lives.

"Littlecloud, wake up."

The ShadowClan medicine cat opened his eyes, and saw the other cats awakening as well. "Come," she hissed to Flamepaw. "We need to go back immediately."

Flamepaw looked at her. "I had a dream as well. About Firestar's death."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everyone. In The Fall of the Four, it takes place after Sunrise, but I've changed some things. Whitewing and Birchfall are mates, but they have no kits—meaning Dovepaw and Ivypaw do not exist. Also, as school has started, the length of time between updates may become longer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

**Chapter 3**

Tigerpaw stood outside the leader's den and listened to Blackstar, Littlecloud, and Flamepaw talking about Firestar's death. He wished he had gone to that Gathering. Ever since that fateful night, nobody paid any attention to him. It was all, "Go do this, Tigerpaw" or "We're busy, Tigerpaw" or even "Go away, Tigerpaw." The apprentice wished he could do something.

Suddenly, he had an idea! He could… yes, that could work… then he would do that…. And be the hero! It was better than being pushed around. First stop, the apprentice's den.

"Dawnpaw," he whispered to his sister. "Are you in here?" There was no reply. Tigerpaw let his eyes adjust to the darkness, and saw the den was empty. He crept outside again, and saw his sister coming into the camp with her mentor, Ivytail. She was carrying a frog, which she deposited on the fresh-kill pile. Tigerpaw scurried over to her.

"Dawnpaw, I need to tell you something," he meowed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Um, I'll tell you in the apprentice's den. It's kind of private." The two apprentices went there, and spent some time talking about it.

When they finished, Dawnpaw agreed that this was the best idea ever!

"How should we do it?" she asked her brother.

"Well, we need help, of course. We can't possibly do this on our on."

"Alright, we'll ask the other apprentices from our Clan. And at the next Gathering, we'll ask the apprentices from other Clans to help us!"

Tigerpaw nodded. "Be on your best behavior, so our mentors will have to let us go."

Dawnpaw purred. Tigerpaw had the best ideas ever!

A month quickly passed. Soon, Tigerpaw and Dawnpaw were walking side by side, nearing the tree-bridge. Dawnpaw looked worried.

"What are you worried about, Dawnpaw?" asked Tigerpaw.

His sister looked at him. "What if the other apprentices refuse to help us? What if they tell the warriors about your plan?"

"I don't think they will. The plan is as important to them as it is to us," replied Tigerpaw, as he gracefully leaped onto the tree-trunk. Dawnpaw followed.

"Who should we ask first?" she asked.

"I don't know. Let's find Scorchpaw and Olivepaw first." They had also agreed to help with Tigerpaw's plan.

Dawnpaw quickly disappeared, then came back with the two ShadowClan apprentices in tow.

"Alright," Tigerpaw mewed. "We need a name for this." He looked around. "Suggestions?"

"Operation Apprentice Discovery!" suggested Scorchpaw.

"Team S.O.S. Apprentices!" Olivepaw added.

"How about "The Rise of the Apprentices?" Tigerpaw asked. "Dawnpaw, you decide."

"I thought of a name too!" she answered. "Operation: Apprentices Unite!"

"Yeah! That sounds good!" Scorchpaw exclaimed.

"That's our name, then!" Tigerpaw mewed. "Let's go find the other apprentices!"

"How about this," Dawnpaw suggested. "We each separate and recruit three apprentices for this.

"Okay," Tigerpaw agreed, and slipped away. Olivepaw and Scorchpaw each went their separate ways, and Dawnpaw headed towards a large group of RiverClan apprentices.

Tigerpaw crept through the bushes, and found four WindClan apprentices chatting to Owlpaw, a fellow ShadowClan apprentices.

_Perfect! Four cats, just what I need! I only need three, but I'll get four anyway,_ Tigerpaw thought. He padded out of his cover and dipped his head to the WindClan cats. "Hi, Thistlepaw, Sedgepaw, Swallowpaw, and Sunpaw. I need to talk to you about-"

Owlpaw interrupted aggressively. "Is this about the plan you told me about? If it is, there's no point in telling these four. No one's going to help! The only reason that I'm not telling the warriors about your mouse-brained plan is because you're a fellow apprentice!" He stalked off.

Thistlepaw looked at Tigerpaw with wide eyes. "What do you want?" he asked.

"It's not as bad as Owlpaw says. Um, it's about Firestar's death. We have a plan to find out who did it. Do you want to help us?"

"Okay," they volunteered hesitantly.

"Good," approved Tigerpaw. "Our plan is called Operation: Apprentices Unite, and currently, it is made up of you four, me, Dawnpaw, Olivepaw, and Scorchpaw. The other three are off recruiting. So come with me."

The four WindClan cats followed Tigerpaw as he looked for the other three members of group. Suddenly, he realized that they had been at the Gathering for a long time, but it still hasn't started yet. _Why?_ he wondered. Glancing around, he saw Dawnpaw, Olivepaw, and Scorchpaw talking together, along with twelve recruited cats.

"There you are, Tigerpaw! We've been waiting for you forever!" Dawnpaw exclaimed. "Okay, now everyone say your name one at a time, so we know how many members we have."

"Dawnpaw."

"Tigerpaw."

"Olivepaw."

"Scorchpaw."

"Thistlepaw."

"Sedgepaw."

"Swallowpaw."

"Sunpaw."

"Rosepaw."

"Toadpaw."

"Copperpaw."

"Robinpaw."

"Sneezepaw."

"Nettlepaw."

"Mallowpaw."

"Pebblepaw."

Dawnpaw's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Sixteen members! Now Tigerpaw will fully explain Operation: Apprentices Unite!"

"Okay. This is how it's going to work…" he began. "Wait. Has anyone noticed that the moon is halfway down the sky, but the Gathering has not started yet? What's wrong?"

"We'll investigate after you tell us about the plan, Tigerpaw," Toadpaw meowed.

Tigerpaw explained, but as he was doing so, he kept thinking about the oddness of this Gathering.

When he was finished, Sedgepaw padded up to a WindClan warrior standing around, and asked, "Why hasn't the Gathering started yet?"

The warrior, Harespring, stared down at her in surprise and grief. "You don't know? Onestar, our loyal leader, has just been poisoned, and is dead. He died the same way as Firestar."

"WHAT?" exclaimed all the apprentices in unison. This new knowledge made their task more important then ever. They needed to find out who, or even what, had murdered two important Clan leaders.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Cats of all Clans!" yowled Leopardstar. "Onestar, leader of WindClan, has been murdered. We will not continue with this Gathering. Go back to your camps. May StarClan walk with you, and protect your leaders."

Cats, shocked and angry, slowly padded to their leader or deputy.

"Mistyfoot, you're in charge until I get back. I want to see Ashfoot for a moment," Leopardstar meowed. The RiverClan deputy nodded, understanding. Leopardstar padded to Ashfoot, sitting beside her fallen leader, with a group of her warriors around her.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ashfoot. Onestar was a good leader," she meowed.

"Yes," Ashfoot replied dully. "We all grieve for him." She looked up at the RiverClan leader. "Why? Why would anyone do this for no apparent reason? First Firestar, and then Onestar. Who will be next?"

"Hopefully," Leopardstar sighed. "This will stop. I must be getting back to my own Clan now."

Ashfoot watched her go as she faded into the shadows.

Leopardstar was in her den, surrounded by her senior warriors, deputy, and her medicine cats, Mothwing and Willowshine.

"What will happen next?" she asked. "Firestar, Onestar, and then who?"

Mistyfoot sighed. "Leopardstar, I think that whoever is doing this is targeting all the Clan leaders. You might be next."

"You might be next!" echoed Pebblepaw. He was on his way to a patrol, but now that he had found out information for Operation: Apprentices Unite, it was his duty to report it to all sixteen cats at the next Gathering. For now, he just had to tell the members who were in his Clan.

During the hunting patrol, Pebblepaw couldn't concentrate. He was thinking about this plan and whether it would work or not. Could sixteen apprentices from all four Clans gather enough information to identify who, or even what, had killed two leaders, and might strike the other two?

"Pebblepaw! What's wrong with you today?" asked Reedwhisker. "That fish was practically waiting for you to catch it, and you missed!"

"Sorry," Pebblepaw mumbled. He tried extra hard for the rest of the patrol, but all he caught was one small fish, hardly a mouthful for a kit, while the rest of his patrol had caught enough to feed the elders a good meal.

Mosspelt, Pebblepaw's mentor, came over to Reedwhisker. "How did my apprentice do today?" she asked, pretending not to see Pebblepaw's tiny catch.

Pebblepaw didn't listen for Reedwhisker's reply. He padded off to the apprentices den, and to his dismay, it was empty.

He heard Beechfur's voice behind him. "If you're looking for your fellow apprentices, they are all training with their mentors."

_What? They are all training, while I didn't get to go_? Pebblepaw decided to take a short nap, but as he got settled in his nest, Mosspelt poked her head in and announced, "No time for naps. We're going training with the other apprentices."

_Yes!_ Finally, a time to see the other members of Operation: Apprentices Unite!

When Pebblepaw arrived, he was aghast to see it was empty.

"Where are the other apprentices?" he wondered.

"Oh, the other apprentices? Half of them went back to camp, and the other half are on patrol," his mentor answered.

"I thought we were training with them?" he asked.

"I guess we came too late. They've probably already left," Mosspelt answered.

_What?_ Pebblepaw wailed. _Left out again?_

The training session quickly passed. When they returned to camp, the sun was setting, and the camp was awash in lengthening shadows.

"Get something to eat," Pebblepaw's mentor advised him, "That's enough for today."

Pebblepaw skipped his meal, and directly went to the apprentices den, happy to tell them the news he had been holding since morning, but after breaking the news, his fellow apprentices just blinked.

"Oh, we knew that," yawned Mallowpaw. "But we have information too. We're tired now, we'll tell you in the morning."

The unhappy Pebblepaw drifted uneasily into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the late update this time. This is the next chapter.**

**Chapter 5**

"You should go today," Kestrelflight urged Ashfoot. The former medicine cat for WindClan, Barkface, had recently died, and just before he did, he gave Kestrelflight his name.

"But-" Ashfoot looked anguished. "But I can't. The Clan needs me."

"It's okay, Ashfoot," Kestrelflight pressed her. "Not only do you have a fine, strong new deputy, but the journey is only a day. You _must_ receive your nine lives from StarClan."

Ashfoot looked down at her paws. "Okay, I'll go."

Her medicine cat pressed his nose against her. "I'll be with you, and don't worry; Crowfeather will keep our Clan safe."

The journey to the Moonpool was exhausting, and when Ashfoot and Kestrelflight finally padded up to StarClan's sacred place, decided to rest for a moment.

"Remember, you cannot talk while there," Kestrelflight warned her.

Ashfoot nodded. They both got to their paws, and padded up.

Kestrelflight motioned for Ashfoot to lap up a bit of the water, and lay down. She did so, and closed her eyes.

In a few moments, Ashfoot found herself in an unusual place. She had a vague memory of this place, but she couldn't name it. Then Ashfoot looked up, and saw the four great oaks. Of course, Fourtrees! It had been so long since…. But if the Twolegs destroyed the forest, why would Fourtrees still be standing, here in her dream?

_We are here because StarClan cannot be destroyed, not even by Twolegs_. The voice was inside Ashfoot's head, but it was not her thinking.

_StarClan is speaking to me!_ Ashfoot thought in awe.

Then, suddenly, the cats of StarClan appeared out of the sky, and landed soundlessly around her.

"Are you ready for your nine lives, Ashfoot?" All the cats were talking, but it sounded like one voice—one liquid, smooth, clear voice.

"Yes." She replied confidently, and without hesitation.

A cat stepped out of the gloom.

"Deadfoot!" Ashfoot cried in recognition. Her former mate padded up to her and touched noses. His eyes showed the love that he still had for her, even though he had died a long time ago.

"With this life, I give you determination. Even when everything has gone wrong, use my gift to keep on going. I know you will do well," he said.

A bolt of pain shot through Ashfoot. She wanted to cry out in anguish, but she couldn't. Ashfoot felt as if she was in a tunnel… She staggered, and then regained her balance. She could see the light at the end... Almost there… Ashfoot burst through the tunnel, and found herself face-to-face with Barkface, realizing that the tunnel was just a vision.

"With this life, I give you compassion. Use it well to protect the weaker cats in your Clan."

The gray she-cat felt strangely calm, as if nothing bad had ever happen in her life. She saw shadowy gray-black shapes—kits—out of the corner of her eyes, and felt a desire to go to them. The vision ended when she noticed Tallstar, and in his eyes were a grave sense of urgency.

Instead of proudly striding towards her, he was running in a jumpy manner, as if he was nervous.

"With this life, I—I—Ashfoot, be careful! They're going to—" He broke off, and StarClan disappeared, leaving Ashfoot alone with her former leader.

Suddenly, a blinding pain shot through her body and mind. It felt like the hottest fire, and the coldest ice. Ashfoot's limbs twitched with agony, and then her eyes snapped awake, and the pain disappeared. She let out a long, painful yowl. She realized that her ceremony had been disrupted, and she only had two lives.

**A/N: Please review? :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's another chapter!**

**Chapter 6**

Kestrelflight urgently beckoned with his tail for Ashfoot to follow. He sped out of the cavern, and Ashfoot ran after him. Once they were both outside, Kestrelflight bombarded Ashfoot with questions.

"What happened? Have you got your name? Did you get all your lives? What went wrong? Are you okay? Tell me, what happened?"

Ashfoot was hollow-eyed, but she managed to reply, "I only got two lives, and Tallstar said…"

"I know I shouldn't ask…" Kestrelflight murmured, and then in a louder voice, he meowed, "What'd he say?"

"He said 'be careful. They're going to—'then he broke off," Ashfoot mewed, but her eyes were still troubled.

"He was right, then." Kestrelflight lowered his gaze, and closed his eyes. "And I didn't believe him. But now I do. I'm sorry."

"Who are you talking about?" Ashfoot pressed.

"What—Oh, nothing." It was obvious he was lying. "We need to get back to camp. Now."

Crowfeather looked up. Coming across the ridge was a gray she-cat, and a tom next to her.

"Ashstar?" he called hopefully.

"No," the she-cat replied dully. "Ashfoot."

"Didn't you get—" He was interrupted by Kestrelflight.

"Tell the senior warriors to meet us in Ashfoot's den. You come too, Crowfeather. We have a lot to talk about."

The dark gray tom nodded, and leaped from his perch. He stuck his nose into the warrior's den, and hissed to a couple of sleepy cats, "Ashfoot needs to talk to us. Where are the others?"

"Tornear is on patrol, and Owlwhisker is hunting," Nightcloud replied stiffly.

The warriors got to their paws, and shaking the moss from their pelts, followed Crowfeather out of the den.

Ashfoot surveyed the assembled cats. Tornear had arrived just as her meeting started, but Owlwhisker was still absent. Her medicine cat, Kestrelflight, was beside her. Eight pairs of eyes watched Ashfoot, and she began her story.

"You all know why I called you here," she meowed, "My leader ceremony was disrupted, and I only have two lives."

Gasps of surprise met her words, and she realized her warriors didn't know why she had called them.

"But—but a leader ceremony hasn't been disrupted ever since…" Gorsetail trailed off, and the cats realized that the last time this happened had escaped the memory of the living cats. "StarClan might know," the cat struggled.

"No," Tornear growled. "I may be wrong, and you can ask the elders," he said, lifting his head up to face Ashfoot, "but I'm pretty sure that this has never happened."

"This can't be the first time!" wailed Whitetail. "The history of the Clans goes back all the way to our original leaders. You must have missed something, Tornear."

"Warriors!" Ashfoot suddenly snapped. "We cannot argue amongst ourselves. We must face this as warriors!"

"But what do we do?" hissed Whitetail. "We cannot hide, but something must be done. Kestrelflight? In your apprenticeship, did Barkface ever…"

Kestrelflight closed his eyes. "Medicine cats' knowledge is passed down throughout the generations. Barkface only knew what his mentor knew. And if this is the first time, then none of the medicine cats know anything."

Ashfoot sighed. "Kestrelflight, I did not tell you at the Moonpool, but… Tallstar gave me a prophecy."

The cats pressed closer to her. "What is it?"

"_Do not run into the shadows, and avoid flashes of light. The watery forces must come together, and if so, all will be bright,"_ she recited.

**A/N: Can anyone solve the prophecy? Hint: It does not mean the obvious.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Another chapter! The climax is coming up... And the mysterious killer will be revealed. **

**Chapter 7**

"Do you know what it means?" asked Tornear, leaning forward, his eyes wide.

"No," Ashfoot replied, "but we can guess." She looked around at her senior Clanmates, each one with troubled and confused faces.

"Well," started Gorsetail, his tail-tip twitching, "Do not run into the shadows must mean ShadowClan. What else could it mean?"

"Yes," Whitetail nodded, her tail curled around her paws, "ShadowClan is probably up to something. They usually are. But what are flashes of light? Could it be ThunderClan?"

Tornear nodded vigorously. "Yes. Both ShadowClan and ThunderClan need to be avoided. Watery forces could mean RiverClan, because they practically live in the water, and 'all will be bright' would mean that if we follow the instructions, the future will be—"

"Wait a minute! You're forgetting something!" Kestrelflight stared at Tornear, who looked surprised at being interrupted. "This threat that's killing the Clan leaders, I'm pretty sure has something to do with Ashfoot's ceremony!" He took a deep breath, and continued. "If it has already targeted cats from two Clans, it's likely to get all the rest! The Clans need to work together!"

"Yes," Ashfoot agreed, standing up. "Kestrelflight is right. The other Clans are not to blame. The prophecy must have some other meaning."

Tornear opened his mouth to protest, but Ashfoot silenced him with an ear-flick. "This meeting is adjourned. For now, the senior warriors and I will share the deputy's duties, until this problem is solved."

The cats got up to their paws, and padded out of Ashfoot's den. As the others organized patrols amongst themselves, Tornear headed out of camp.

"I know I'm right," he hissed to himself as he ran into the wind. "This has nothing to do with the black flash that killed the leaders. This is only about Ashfoot's ceremony. Why won't the others listen? I know I'm right. I'll prove it to them, somehow."

Anger and frustration fueling him, he started to run harder and harder. There was no destination in his mind, only the need to get away. Tornear wanted some time alone; he needed to think. Thoughts clouded around him like fog, until he couldn't see anymore. He just felt his paws pounding on the ground, leading him farther and farther from the camp.

Blindly wandering around WindClan's territory, he soon found himself standing at the edge of ThunderCLan's territory. The bare, open hills were replaced by the trees and shrubs that the ThunderClan cats, known for their ways in the dense underbrush, hunted in. The Moonpool's sparkling stream separated the two territories, flowing away freely.

Something caught his eye. A large, gray squirrel was at the base of a tree, scuffling for nuts. It was perilously close to the ThunderClan border, but it still was WindClan territory.

_Why not? _Tornear thought, fixing his gaze on the squirrel. _It's not a rabbit, but it'll do. Might as well hunt while I'm out here. Besides, ThunderClan's to be avoided. One less squirrel will make them weaker, and WindClan stronger. _

Soon he had caught the squirrel. It had fled right to the border, over the stream, and his paw prints were etched on the borderline. Tornear scuffed some fallen leaves to cover the prints, and then headed back to camp, the limp squirrel held firmly in his jaws. He crossed the river in a great leap, the prey swinging in his jaws. Perhaps if he returned with a load of prey, Ashfoot would be more inclined to believe the great hunter.

He didn't notice the four pairs of eyes watching him—green, amber, ice blue, and frosty yellow. They followed him until he was out of sight. Then they, too, disappeared.

**A/N: Can anyone guess who the four pairs of eyes belong too? Three of them should be easy. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another chapter...**

**To the reviewers:**

**Amber342: The killer will be revealed very soon...**

**Avatar-State craziness: The first three guesses are correct. The last one is very close...**

**Chapter 8**

The sun radiated its golden rays onto the ThunderClan camp, washing the leaves into a verdant hue. A few rays peeked into the ThunderClan leader's den, waking him from a deep slumber.

The brown tabby opened one eye. It was dawn, and the day was beginning. He got up and shook the moss out of his fur.

Bramblestar wearily padded out of his den, to find his deputy, Lionblaze, already sitting in the clearing quietly, tail wrapped around his paws. He seemed to be deep in thought, but perked up when he heard Bramblestar approaching.

"The dawn patrol is already out," Lionblaze reported, "but I still haven't sent out the hunting patrol. Should I do it now?"

"You go rest," Bramblestar meowed. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, Bramblestar!" Lionblaze purred as he walked away.

Bramblestar watched his deputy until he went inside the warriors den. He wasn't the most senior warrior, but he had quickly caught on to his duties. Many cats wondered why Bramblestar had chosen Lionblaze, instead of a cat like Brackenfur or Dustpelt. Bramblestar knew Lionblaze was a loyal warrior, but he wondered about how, as a warrior, he, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf had often disappeared. Hollyleaf had vanished in the tunnels since then, but Lionblaze and Jayfeather...

Bramblestar shook his head. He walked over to the warriors den, noting that most cats were still asleep. Dustpelt's eyes were closed, and he looked content, which was rare for the prickly warrior. Ferncloud, a light grey she-cat, was curled beside him. Bramblestar decided not to disturb them. Cloudtail's white, fluffy body poked up among his moss nest, and Icecloud's smaller form was nearly identical. Bramblestar wondered who he should send on the hunting patrol.

He heard a patter of feet. Pulling his head back, Bramblestar saw Thornclaw coming back from the dirtplace.

"Thornclaw!" he called. "Choose a couple of cats, and take them on a hunting patrol."

Thornclaw dipped his head, and vanished inside the warriors den. A few moments later, he emerged again, with Icecloud and Birchfall behind him. Icecloud, looking alert, waved her tail at Bramblestar, and the three leaped out of the camp.

Thornclaw took the lead. They padded though ThunderClan's territory, keeping an ear out for prey.

Thornclaw suddenly stopped. "Mouse!" he hissed, ears slowly rotating around to capture the soft noise. "You two go ahead, I'll catch up later. Meet me by the Moonpool's stream."

Icecloud and Birchfall nodded, and went ahead, padding side by side. As the sun slowly crept up to its sunhigh position, the two cats worked hard to catch prey.

"Great work!" Birchfall called, as Icecloud padded out of the thick shrubs, bearing a large brown squirrel. She dug a small hole, and piled dirt on top of the buried squirrel. The she-cat was about to go back into the shrubs when Birchfall called her back.

"I think we have enough," he meowed. "Let's go to the stream and find Thornclaw. We're done for now."

"I'll get the two pieces by the stream and meet you there," Icecloud offered, her blue eyes sparkling.

Birchfall nodded, and the white she-cat bounded away.

Icecloud sniffed the air. Something didn't smell right. She was getting worried. Birchfall was taking a long time, and Thornclaw's scent was present, but he wasn't. Something was wrong.

Suddenly the bushes trembled, and Birchfall popped out, prey in his jaws.

"There you are!" Icecloud yowled. "I was getting worried. Thornclaw—he's—he's gone!"

"Thornclaw? Gone? Icecloud, what are you talking about?" Birchfall looked puzzled, dropping the prey.

"His scent—it ends right at the border! And he's nowhere to be found!"

Birchfall went over the sniff the border. "There's WindClan scent here," he warned.

"I know, but it's way older. It's not fresh. There's no way that a WindClan warrior could have—"

"There's squirrel blood here!" Birchfall exclaimed, nose to the ground. "WindClan stole prey from us!"

"What's more important: Finding Thornclaw, a fellow Clanmate, or fussing over stolen prey? We can deal with WindClan after finding Thornclaw!" Icecloud shot back, her tail lashing.

"I'm not fussing!" Birchfall objected.

"I don't care. Thornclaw's disappeared, and we have a duty to find him. Let's go, Birchfall," Icecloud meowed.

**A/N: Cats are disappearing! Gasp!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Next chapter!**

**The killer will be revealed in a couple chapters... There's just one more thing that has to happen first.**

**Chapter 9**

Sunlight glinted off of the calm waters of the river. Partially hidden among the strands of vibrant green reeds on the shore, on top of a small, smooth stone, was a small she-cat.

Petalfur had gone on two patrols today, so she had taken a piece of prey to eat. The she-cat had not wished to eat in camp, so she had gone by the river, her favourite spot in RiverClan territory.

She finished the last bite of her fish, slowly savouring the flavor, then buried up its remains.

She licked her paws and groomed herself, then padded away, back to camp. Petalfur had not gone more than two fox-lengths when an exasperated voice drifted from a thick clump of weeds.

"Listen, Pebblepaw, you've got to understand. You can't go around like that." It seemed to belong to an apprentice.

"But—" A different voice came, this one almost pleading.

"We've already told you why. If you go on like this…"

Petalfur recognized Pebblepaw's voice. The young tom wasn't doing as well in his training these days, and the warriors suspected it had something to do with the other apprentices. Whenever the apprentice was around the others, he would act almost forlorn. Petalfur felt sorry for the dejected young cat.

The she-cat stalked up the weeds, and with one paw pushed it apart to reveal three apprentices huddled together, heads down: Pebblepaw, Mallowpaw, and Robinpaw. "Alright, what were you doing?"

"We—we weren't doing anything," Pebblepaw answered, sinking lower into the ground.

"That's right," Mallowpaw agreed, though the cats noticed his eyes were cast onto the ground.

"Where are your mentors?" asked Petalfur suspiciously, glancing at each apprentice in turn.

"They… Um, I think they're off hunting," Mallowpaw answered uncertainly.

"Actually, I know for a fact that Pinefur, Rippletail, and Mosspelt are in camp. So what are you doing alone out here?"

"Playing!" Robinpaw blurted out.

"You're not kits anymore," Petalfur meowed firmly. _Although you might act like them_, she thought to herself wryly.

"We know," Mallowpaw answered. "Sorry, we'll go back to camp now. Come on, Pebblepaw and Robinpaw, let's go."

The three young cats left, Mallowpaw in the lead. Petalfur watched their receding figures, and wondered what was up with the apprentices. Was it just RiverClan, or all four Clans? She'd noticed that at Gatherings, the other apprentices were like this as well.

"Oh well," Petalfur sighed to herself, and also headed back to camp.

"I want to go on the patrol," Blackclaw meowed stubbornly. He and the deputy of RiverClan were arguing in the camp.

"Oh, Blackclaw, Mothwing told you to rest. You tore out a claw yesterday while hunting," Mistyfoot replied.

"So? It doesn't hurt," he persisted, lifting his paw and waving it around.

"Very well," Mistyfoot acknowledged. She watched as Blackclaw sped away, tail high in the air. "But don't blame me if it starts to throb!"

He was already out of camp, missing her last words.

A few fat fish later, Blackclaw had to admit that he was getting tired. He told his Clanmates to go on without him, and he'd return to camp later. The others were hesitant, but Blackclaw persisted. Eventually, they left.

He had settled on a large rock by the river, and took a quick nap. However, he was alert, and even the most minute sound could warn of forthcoming danger.

Blackclaw suddenly awoke, and glanced up. Judging from the sun's position, the other cats should be back now. He hopped off the large boulder, and began his way back, threading his way through the tall reeds.

Unfortunately, he didn't stop to taste the air in his rush. Four pairs of familiar eyes watched him recede, hidden in an unfathomable spot.

"Almost," they whispered in unison. The air seemed tense around them.

**A/N: First Tornear, then Thornclaw, and now Blackclaw...**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: It's been almost half a year since I last updated—sorry. The story's going to pick up soon, I promise.**

**Chapter 10**

Flamepaw, the young medicine cat apprentice, peered at Crowfrost, lying on a soft bed of moss. The black-and-white tom's body shook every time he coughed.

Next to him was Ratscar, a brown tom. He lay on his back, attempting to ease his stomachache. His eyes were closed in an uncomfortable sleep.

"Littlecloud?" asked Flamepaw, thinking hard. "Tansy is for coughs, right? And watermint for stomachache?"

"Yes." Littlecloud padded over from the darkness in the back of the den to check on his patients. "Crowfrost should recover soon. But we'll need more tansy."

"We're low on watermint, too," Flamepaw pointed out, looking worried.

"Can you go fetch some?" Littlecloud met his apprentice's gaze. "Take a warrior with you; you'll collect more."

The ginger tom nodded determinedly. "I know where they grow." His tail waved as he walked out of the den.

Weak beams of sunlight filtered through the dense trees overhead. Flamepaw shook himself, warming himself up in the cold air. He scanned the clearing—only one warrior was in sight: Toadfoot. He was finishing a small frog.

Flamepaw rushed over to the older tom. "Toadfoot?"

"Yes?" he replied, taking another bite.

"Littlecloud needs some herbs for Crowfrost and Ratscar. I'll need help carrying them back," he explained.

Toadfoot immediately nodded. "I'll help you. Should we leave now?"

"Of course. The sooner we return, the faster Crowfrost and Ratscar can be cured," mewed Flamepaw.

Toadfoot finished his meal and got to his paws.

The two left camp. The marshy grass was damp underpaw, and a cold breeze ruffled their fur. Flamepaw shivered.

"So what are we looking for?" Toadfoot questioned, breaking the silence.

"Tansy for coughs and watermint for stomachache," Flamepaw recited. "There should be some around the stream."

A cold wind started to blow as the two cats padded on. Flamepaw felt his fur blow against his skin, but continued determinedly. Toadfoot appeared not to feel the cold.

"Over there," Flamepaw suddenly mewed. He nodded towards a clump of green leaves. "That's watermint."

They veered towards it. Toadfood broke off some of the leaves, and gathered them in his jaws. "Should we take these back to camp and then come out for tansy?" he mewed around the herb.

Flamepaw thought for a moment. "Take those back to Littlecloud; I'll find the tansy."

"Will you need help carrying them?" Toadfoot asked.

"No, I'll be okay."

Toadfoot turned and melted into the shadows of the forest, and Flamepaw carried on alone.

The wind was blowing even harder now, and the trees shook alarmingly. Flamepaw looked up in amazement as the loose needles drifted towards the ground like snowflakes.

Some tansy flapped wildly in the wind up ahead. Flamepaw races towards it, his eyes half closed in the wind. As he bit off the stalks, the wind carried them away. "Hey!" Flamepaw yelped in alarm. He chased after them, slamming his paws onto the stems. He hoped the herbs weren't damaged.

The cat trotted back towards the plant and pulled out a few more flowers, holding them tightly. Now he wished that Toadfoot was still there with him, but hopefully the older warrior would already be back in camp.

Flamepaw closed his eyes and let the scents and sounds of the forest wash over him. Then, bracing against the wind, he started to trot back.

Halfway back, he started to hear murmurs—cat voices. He located his clanmates, and padded up to them, weaving through the trees.

"Kinkfur? Shrewpaw? What's happening?" Flamepaw asked.

The tabby she-cat turned to him, eyes wide. "We were on a hunting patrol, when we heard Toadfoot. I sent Shrewpaw to check on him, and when Ratscar's apprentice returned, his tail was all fluffed out as if he'd been scared. But look at Toadfoot."

Flamepaw set his herbs down beneath the shelter of a strong pine, and walked up to the warrior who had helped him. Toadfoot's glazed eyes stared up at the sky, and like Shrewpaw, his fur was fluffed out and his hackles raised. Only his sharp, heaving breaths showed that the warrior wasn't dead.

"Toadfoot?" Flamepaw whispered. "Can you hear me?"

"They," Toadfoot gasped. "They were here."

High above in the trees, eyes glittered. "Of course," the amber-eyed silhouette purred. "Of course we are here."

Ripples of amusement passed through the others, and then they vanished.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Fall of the Four**

**A/N**: I haven't written in this fandom for a while... Hopefully the writing isn't too bad. Because I haven't updated in a while, this chapter's longer than most.

**Chapter 11**

Under the leafy cover of their territory, the cats of ThunderClan were busy preparing for another long night. It was a full moon, and they had to be prepared in case something happened at the Gathering. Some of the cats would have preferred it to be canceled altogether, but they knew that would break the ancient traditions. They were determined to stick together and make it through.

Lionblaze and Jayfeather padded into the camp, jaws full of prey and herbs, just as the last rays of the sun faded from the blue sky. It would be time to leave, soon. A few cats were still out in the open, but they were occupied. The camp seemed so empty.

"Are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Lionblaze asked his brother quietly, after depositing his prey on the pile. He faced Jayfeather with worry in his eyes.

"No," Jayfeather answered around a mouthful of leaves, his tone equally soft. "I have work to do in the den. But you're going, aren't you?"

Lionblaze nodded hesitantly. "Bramblestar chose me yesterday. I think he picked me because he was afraid that something might happen, like the previous times…" His mew trailed off, and his gaze wandered to the just-rising moon.

"You're the deputy," Jayfeather pointed out. "You have to go."

Lionblaze flicked an ear. "That too. But mainly, I think it was that he wanted a good fighter."

The blind cat put his nose to Lionblaze's ear, and warned, "Be careful tonight, Lionblaze. I have a bad feeling something will happen again." Then he turned around and headed into the medicine cat den, head bowed low and tail trailing on the ground.

Lionblaze watched him leave, and then entered the warriors' den. He would need sleep, both to rest and escape from his feelings.

His claws raked the moss until it was soft and comfortable, and as his eyes closed, he fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

It felt like only moments later when Bramblestar stuck his dark brown head in and hissed, "Lionblaze. Wake up; we're leaving now."

The golden cat blinked a couple times, and then slowly followed his leader. Icecloud, Dustpelt, and Cloudtail were waiting for them, sitting by the entrance to the camp. The white she-cat looked nervous, but tried not to show it.

"You're only taking three warriors?" he asked, surprised. He'd expect Bramblestar to take more cats along. There was safety in numbers, after all.

"I don't want to endanger anyone else," his leader explained, leaning in close. "We need to attend, but I don't have to risk the safety of too many cats." Louder, he called, "Let's go."

In single file, they trotted after him, racing briskly across the forest floor. Their paws raced, but Lionblaze's mind was even faster, thoughts flying around his head.

Leaves, trees, and plants flew past them in a blur of verdant hues, and Lionblaze's mind returned to what Jayfeather had said that afternoon. _Be careful tonight, Lionblaze. I have a bad feeling something will happen again._ The night Firestar had been killed, Jayfeather had said those same words. Was his blind brother able to predict these happenings?

What if someone really did die tonight?

Fueled with worry, the large cat leaped past Dustpelt, who had overtaken him, and fell into step beside Bramblestar. His leader turned to him questioningly.

"I talked to Jayfeather this afternoon," he began, looking at his leader out of the corner of his eye.

"What did he think?" asked Bramblestar, in a tone that said he already knew. Perhaps he just wanted to hear it out loud and confirm his thoughts.

Still, Lionblaze's next words came out in a rush. "He thinks something bad will happen again." He kept his eyes forward, not wanting to meet the gaze of his leader. There were too many questions in those amber depths.

Bramblestar nodded, his pace never faltering. "That's what I thought. But, considering the past few Gatherings, that's to be expected, isn't it?" He took a breath. "However, we must still go, and hope for the best."

"At least we must warn the other Clans," Lionblaze argued. They leaped over a large fallen tree, wrapped in shadows. The other cats followed them, silent.

The dark tabby tom was quiet. "Yes," he mewed finally. "We will do that."

Lionblaze waited for Bramblestar to say more, but the leader was quiet. He allowed himself to fall behind, so he could be alone with his thoughts again.

They'd covered a good amount of territory, and the tree-bridge was just ahead. However, the view of the fallen tree was blocked by the dark silhouettes of many cats milling around. A few he recognized, but some he didn't.

Bramblestar came to a halt, and his warriors followed quickly. "What's happening?" he demanded to the closest cat, Petalfur.

"I'm not sure," she confessed. "We can't go on the tree-bridge, for some reason. Our leader told us to stay back."

"Are all the Clans here?" Lionblaze asked, coming up to stand beside his leader.

"Not WindClan," she answered. Her gaze darted around the cats, picking out the leaders of RiverClan and ShadowClan. They were also accompanied by their leaders, but the warriors were spread out all over the place.

"I'm going to see what's happen," he told Bramblestar, asking for permission. Something seemed wrong, and he had to figure out what it was, before anyone got hurt.

A refusal formed in Bramblestar's mind, but he decided to chance it. Lionblaze was one of the strongest fighters. If anyone could survive unscathed, it would be the powerful golden warrior. "Alright. Don't take any risks, though. We need you."

Without answering, he disappeared into the throng of cats. There were so many, and some of them he didn't even recognize. ThunderClan had only brought five cats, and WindClan hadn't arrived yet. Could ShadowClan and RiverClan really be that large?

But none tried to stop him, and Lionblaze didn't want to stop either, so he continued on, pushing past all the cats. They smelled different, too. He sensed that something was really wrong.

When he finally emerged from the mass of felines, he gasped audibly.

Framed by the moonlight and standing on the tree-bridge, green eyes bright and tail raised high in the air, was his lost sister, Hollyleaf. She looked healthy, not like a cat who once disappeared in the tunnels. But her eyes had changed. They were still green, but lacked the warmth and playfulness that she used to have. Now they were cold and darker. She wasn't the Hollyleaf he knew.

"Hello, brother," she purred, slipping closer to him.

He snarled in response. All he could say was, "You've joined the Dark Forest, haven't you? And they sent you kill the leaders!"

Her voice was silky and smooth. "Oh no, Lionblaze. That wasn't me. However, I will be killing tonight." She hissed with glee.

Then she lunged straight at him, claws unsheathed and eyes glittering with a whirlwind of emotions.


End file.
